Welcome

This is the new home of Balkan Military History. We have been going for over 21 years and it was time for a major rebuild. The old site is still there as an archive while we construct this new resource. You can also follow us on Twitter 'Balkan History' @Balkan_Dave

News

Bulgarian Air Force in WW2Our review of a new book from Helion that studies the equipment and operations of the Bulgarian Air Force in the Second World War. ​

Hellenistic armies and battlefieldsTwo new books from Pen and Sword will be useful reading for anyone interested in Greek history. Armies of the Hellenistic States 323BC to AD30 primarily covers the successor states. It is lavishly illustrated with reenactors in period dress. The other is Battles and Battlefields of Ancient Greece, an essential read if visiting the battlefields. ​

Deception in WW2Charles Cruickshank's 1979 book, 'Deception in World War II', gives an overview of many operations that played no small part in winning the war. These encompassed several plans involving the Balkans including Operation Hardihood, Operation Barclay and Operation Zeppelin. The better known Operation Mincemeat also had a Balkan component and is covered in Ben MacIntyre's book.

Normans in the BalkansOur new feature article on the Norman campaigns in the Balkans. Plus a review of Paul Hill's book 'The Norman Commanders: Masters of Warfare 911-1135'. He argues that it was leadership, not technology, which underpinned their success.

Dalmatian BridgeheadOur latest feature article describes a World War Two plan to establish a Partisan bridgehead on the Dalmatian Coast in Operation Knockholt.

Death on the DonOur review of this book by Jonathan Trigg, which chronicles the destruction of Germany's allies on the Eastern Front during WW2. With the exception of Italy's contribution, this is mostly the story of Hitler's Balkan allies; Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and the puppet Croatian state.

Full of historical interest from the ancient Minoans, Romans, Venetians, Ottomans and the 1941 German invasion and occupation.

For God and KaiserOur review of Richard Bassett's book on the Imperial Austrian Army, from the Thirty Years War to the end of WW1. If you want to understand the big picture of the Imperial Austrian armies, you could do no better than this book.

Austro-Hungarian forts to be destroyed in Montenegro developmentThe Yugoslav submarine tunnel, the hidden tunnel systems, the A-H coastal battery of Luštica, the guard house for Luštica with it’s spectacular view over the bay, everything is planned to disappear and to be turned into ugly hotel elements. Fabian Dittrich explains.

Serbian site reveals human migration historyA Neanderthal tooth discovered in the Pešturina cave is a small but exciting step towards reconstructing the complex prehistory of human migration and cultural contact in the Central Balkans.

The Great Illyrian RevoltA year before three Roman legions were famously destroyed in the Teutoburg Forest, a three-year rebellion in the Balkans came to an end. The Great Illyrian Revolt took 15 Roman legions more than three years to conclude, at a considerable cost in men and resources. This book by Jason Abdale is the first to cover this forgotten conflict.

The Habsburgs' Wings 1914This book is the story of the early years of the Austro-Hungarian air force by the Polish historian Andrej Olejko. This is an impressive piece of research and is extensively illustrated with period photographs.

Greece 1941: The Death Throes of BlitzkriegA new study of the German invasion of Greece in 1941 and the British and Commonwealth intervention by Jeffrey Plowman, published by Pen & Sword Books. It covers the strategic decisions and the campaign itself. However, it also argues that the campaign demonstrated the limitations of Blitzkrieg, in the mountains and limited infrastructure of Greece in 1941.

Hitler's Strategy 1940-41: The Balkan ClueThe conventional view is that Hitler regarded the Balkans simply as a distraction from his plans to invade the Soviet Union. In this book, Martin van Creveld suggests a different interpretation. He argues that Hitler was determined on using the Mediterranean as an indirect way of damaging Britain when his invasion plans came to nothing. It was only when he decided to attack the Soviet Union that his focus changed, and even then, the invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece did not cause any delay to Operation Barbarossa.

Royal Yugoslav Armed ForcesWe take a look at the armed forces of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia just prior to WW2. While it didn't last long following the German invasion of 1941, it might have had to fight at least twice in 1939. In conflicts that we're only narrowly avoided. We take a detailed look at one such possibility - the Salonika Campaign of 1940.

Bloody Big Balkan BattlesOur Editor's review of a book of scenarios for gaming the Balkan Wars 1912-13. It is designed for the rule set Bloody Big Battles, and they don't come much bigger than this conflict. Fourteen battles with maps and orbats for all the armies involved. Very good!

The Cretan War 1645-71Our review of the latest in the excellent Helion 'Century of the Soldier' series covers the Cretan War, fought between Venice and the Ottoman Empire for some 26 years in the 17th century. Campaigns took place on sea and land across the Eastern Mediterranean, including the Balkans.

Salonika: the sideshow that ended the warOur review of Nigel Birch's dissertation on the role the British armed forces played in the final stages of the Salonika campaign in September 2018.

Adriatic Cruel SeasWarlord Games have published a new game of coastal warfare in World War Two, Cruel Seas.In this feature article we take a look at coastal warfare in the Adriatic during 1943 and 1944, which offers plenty of examples of this type of warfare. Then we build the Regia Marina.

A World on FireThe Editor's review of James Heneage's novel of the Greek Revolution. While the author stretches the historical facts a little, the broad canvas of 1824-26 is all there. He tells a good story around the international events that led to the liberation of at least part of Greece from Ottoman rule.

World's oldest intact shipwreck found in the Black SeaArchaeologists have found the shipwreck at the bottom of the Black Sea where it appears to have lain undisturbed for more than 2,400 years. The 23-metre (75ft) vessel, thought to be ancient Greek, was discovered with its mast, rudders and rowing benches all present and correct just over a mile below the surface.

The Raven KingWe review the story of the Hungarian King, Matthias Corvinus and the fate of his lost library by Marcus Tanner. History and books, what's not to like!

The Other 1918 CampaignWith all the focus on the Battle of Amiens and the hundred days to the armistice, we look at how campaigns in Balkans played an important part in ending WW1. In particular the Battle of Dobro Pole in September 1918.

Ali Pasha - Lion of IoanninaThis new study of the fascinating 'Napoleon of the Balkans' is well written and beautifully illustrated.

Laskarina Bouboulina - Greek Rebel AdmiralCiaran Conliffe tells the story of the female leader of the first naval force to declare for an independent Greece.

Paul of Yugoslavia - Britain's Maligned FriendOur review of a sympathetic biography of Prince Paul Karageorgevic, who was the Regent of Yugoslavia for a fateful seven years before the coup d'etat of March 1941 and the subsequent Axis invasion.

Peter the Great HumbledOur review of Nicholas Dorrell's study of the Russo-Turkish War of 1711. A concise narrative of this little known conflict, well illustrated including colour plates. ​The Tsar had a lucky escape. In other circumstances Russian history could have been very different.

The PeloponneseThe Editor's 2018 Balkan tour was The Peloponnese. Based in Nafplio, he covers Corinth, Epidaurus, Mycenae, Sparta and Mystras. And a trip to Athens and the War Museum on the way back.

The Splintered EmpiresOur review of Prit Buttar's 'The Splintered Empires'. This is a history of the Eastern Front between 1917 and 1921. This is a really complex story, very well told, with plenty of detail for the military historian. There are also decent maps, something often missing in other studies.

Flashpoint TriesteOur review of 'Flashpoint Trieste' by Christian Jennings is the story of a contested city at the end of World War Two that can reasonably be described as the first battle of the Cold War.

Battle of the Medak PocketA History Network podcast covers a little known skirmish between Canadian peacekeepers and Croatian forces in 1993.

Historic MapsA set of historic maps of the Hungarian monarchy, and the Western Balkans, became the most significant addition to the Old Art Collection in the Slovak National Gallery (SNG) last year. They can be viewed online here.

Aleksinac 1876Our first feature article of 2018 covers the Battle of Aleksinac 1876. The decisive battle of the Serbo-Turkish War of 1876. A narrative of the battle with photos of the battlefield today.​The Editor's tabletop refight of the battle is covered in this blog post.

ScanderbegA new history by A.K.Brackob of the Albanian medieval leader. For some 25 years he led the resistance to Ottoman invasions, with limited assistance from outside the Balkans.

The Serbian Army of the Great WarOur review of Dusan Babac's book on the Serbian army 1914-18. Profusively illustrated study of the army, with a good overview of the main campaigns. The definitive book on the subject.

Wallachian and Moldovan troops of the Napoleonic warsA guest post by Andrew Prockter outlines the armed forces of the Wallachian and Moldovan principalities during the Napoleonic wars.

Transnistrian War 1992Our feature article discusses the Transnistrian War of 1992. The breakaway republic's conflict in Moldova and the Russian involvement.

The Zadruga in the Military BorderThis feature article looks at the Zadruga households of the grenzer in the military border.

Serbian stamps honour Scots WW1 heroinesScottish women who volunteered in Serbia during World War One are being commemorated in a series of stamps. The British Embassy has teamed up with Serbia Post to celebrate the efforts of the Scottish heroines.

ANZAC memorials of Rayner HoffManx-born sculptor Rayner Hoff is being celebrated with the ﻿launch﻿ of a new stamp collection from the Isle of Man Post Office. The collection of six stamps features the ANZAC war memorials in Sydney and Adelaide, Australia, where the local artist’s work is featured.

Valentine Baker's Heroic Stand at Tashkessen 1877This is the story of Valentine Baker who commanded 3000 Ottoman troops in a classic rearguard action against 25,000 Russians during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877. The editor's review gives this one highly recommended. Well written and researched - just an amazing story.​